1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a post for use in securing a gun and/or other equipment inside the cabin of helicopters and other aircraft and more particularly to a post that can be easily removed when not in use.
2. Description of Related Art
It is often necessary to secure equipment, such as a firearm, inside the cabin of an aircraft. In particular, helicopters are often used by various law enforcement agencies as well as various branches of the military. On some occasions it is necessary or desirable to have a rifle, other type of firearm, or other equipment safely secured in the cabin. At the same time, the firearm or other equipment often needs to be easily accessible so that it can be quickly removed as needed. One example of such a scenario is the frequent use of tactical weapons that are secured in the cabin of police helicopters.
This need has been often met through the use of various types of quick-release brackets that attach to the floor or wall inside an aircraft cabin. One such common bracket system is the line of tactical weapon racks manufactured under the BLAC-RAC® trademark that are available from Blac-Rac Mfg. located in Meridian, Id. The bracket is typically permanently attached to the floor or wall of the cabin. While these types of brackets provide convenient access to the firearm or other equipment, they generally have a significant drawback in that they reduce the cabin passenger and/or cargo capacity regardless of whether there is a specific need for the firearm or other equipment for which it was intended. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has strict requirements for clearances required around seats in aircraft such as helicopters. The counterpart agencies to the FAA in other countries have similar requirements. These requirements are in place in order to minimize the possibility that a passenger in the cabin might hit their head or another portion of their body against the structure in turbulence or in the event of a hard or crash landing. As a result, in a helicopter the installation of a bracket in order to secure equipment such as a tactical weapon in the cabin often results in the loss of the ability to use one or more seats for passengers. While this may be an acceptable trade-off during periods when the tactical weapon or other equipment is required in the helicopter or other aircraft, it can present an unnecessary restriction during trips or missions where the tactical weapon or other equipment is not required.
The bracket must also satisfy additional FAA requirements requiring the structure to be able to withstand the expected loads in all directions that it could conceivably experience not only during regular operation but also during turbulence or in the event of a hard or crash landing without deforming or breaking in a way that might create a hazard for the aircraft or its occupants. Similarly, the attachment of the bracket or other structure must not be done in a way that could negatively impact the structural integrity or safety factor of any of the other components of the helicopter or other type of aircraft.
This need to have the equipment mounting post adequately secured to the helicopter or other aircraft has generally led to the use of attachment mechanism such as rivets and bolts to secure the post directly to one or more structural beams of the helicopter or other aircraft. These structural beams provide a more secure attachment point for the mounting post, however, they are generally not exposed in the cabin. Instead, they are located underneath the floor or behind the walls of the cabin. As a result, it is often difficult to gain sufficient access to be able to attach or remove such equipment mounting posts. This may require removing floor panels or cowlings that are often riveted to the airframe. Once access is obtained, specialized tools such as wrenches are required to be able to detach the mounting post from the airframe. As a result, in order to remove conventional mounting posts from a helicopter or other aircraft it may be necessary to take the aircraft out of service for, in some cases, hours and require a mechanic.
Thus, there is a need for an equipment mounting post or other structure that is securely attached to the frame of a helicopter or other aircraft and yet can be quickly and easily removed from the helicopter from inside the cabin without tools so that one or more additional passengers can be seated inside the cabin during periods when the tactical weapon or other equipment is not required.